CountryMark reminds the public to call before digging

With August 11 almost here, CountryMark hopes this date on the calendar, 8/11, will serve as a natural reminder for residents to call 811 prior to any digging project to have underground utility lines marked. An underground utility line is damaged once every six minutes nationwide due to failure to call 811 before digging.

When calling 811, homeowners and contractors are connected to an 811 one-call specialist at a local one-call center, who then notifies the appropriate utility companies of their intent to dig. Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, spray paint or both.

Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree and laying field tile are all examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting.

“On August 11 and throughout the year, we remind homeowners, landowners and professional contractors alike to call 811 before digging to eliminate the risk of striking an underground utility line,” said Ash Titzer, CountryMark’s Logistics Maintenance Manager, “It really is the only way to know which utilities are buried in your area.”

The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Utility lines need to be properly marked because even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.

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